New Data on Auston Matthews Sparks Major Excitement Among Leafs Fans

Sports fans everywhere are well aware that NHL icon Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record is no more, thanks to the incredible year that Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has enjoyed.

Despite missing a month because of a broken leg, Ovechkin roared back stronger than ever and is now officially the leading goal scorer in NHL history. He scored the 895th goal of his Hall of Fame career yesterday against the New York Islanders, officially breaking the record that was held by Gretzky since 1999.

But what are the chances of other current players making a run at the record that now belongs to Ovechkin?

While Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews would be a likely candidate after having won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 3 of the last 4 years, his scoring prowess has dipped this year under first year Leafs coach Craig Berube.

However, at his current pace, with this year taken into account, Matthews could potentially reach 895 goals in 10 years.

Matthews was one of several players who expressed their admiration for Ovechkin in a specially prepared video message.

So far in his career, Matthews has 398 goals (just 2 away from 400) in 623 games. He scored 69 goals last year to lead the NHL, but has just 30 so far this year in 61 games.

It's going to take Matthews a serious bit of consistency and perseverance not only through injuries, but through goal-scoring droughts and struggles. With his new mentality, a 69+ goal season may never happen again.

But if he can find some semblance of his past self, we might see Matthews toy with the record.

That is, if 895 remains the final number when all is said and done.